About Kelly MacNeil

Kelly MacNeil has worked as a communications specialist for Heifer International since 2011. Before coming to Heifer, she graduated from Baylor University with a degree in Telecommunications, served in Guatemala with the Peace Corps, and worked for several years as a public radio journalist. She has a dog named Lucía.

Beyond Hunger – A Special Evening With Heifer

As poverty and hunger continue to affect more people around the world, Heifer International keeps working to engage new audiences and thank those who have supported our mission to end hunger and poverty and protect the Earth.

Heifer Beyond Hunger fundraiserHeifer’s first major ticketed fundraiser, called “Beyond Hunger: A Place at the Table,” is planned for Sept. 21, 2012, in Los Angeles. The night, hosted by Diane Lane as well as Nina Jacobson, Jane Fonda, Sheryl Crow and Tracey Ullman, is a chance to bring participants closer to our work and to thank special guests Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson for their longtime support. 

We are lucky to have many celebrity endorsers who lend their voices to our efforts to raise funds to end hunger and poverty. Other stars that have agreed to serve on the dinner committee include Ed Asner, Ashley Judd, Kirsten Dunst, Mia Farrow, Adrian Grenier, Patricia Heaton, Susan Sarandon and David Hunt, as well as Allison Janney, Anna Lappe, Amy Madigan and Ed Harris, and Keisha and Forest Whitaker.

Beyond Hunger is more than a star-studded event, though. It’s also Heifer International’s pledge to the future, to help celebrate women—all women who aspire to fulfill their dreams of happiness, opportunity and prosperity. As the theme of the evening suggests, it begins with food security, income and assets—a place at the table—but the destination is equality, access and, most of all, full participation.

The success of this evening will allow Heifer to help even more families faster. So if you’re interested in participating in this elegant event, reserve your place at the Beyond Hunger table and purchase tickets at www.heifer.org/beyondhunger.

An Adventure to Mongolia for Heifer

Arkansas Chuggabugs at Mongol Rally finish lineThe Arkansas Chuggabugs have reached Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

 

This typically would be enough of an accomplishment for anyone — Mongolia not really being on the way to anywhere.

 

But it’s especially amazing because the Chuggabugs, a group of crazy young Arkansans, traveled from London to central Mongolia in a tiny secondhand car dubbed “The Wiz,” camping outside most nights and using only paper maps rather than GPS.

 

AND they raised a bunch of money for Heifer. 

Arkansas Chuggabugs Mongol Rally team

The Arkansas Chuggabugs Mongol Rally team

The team was participating in the Mongol Rally. The distance they traveled is roughly a third of the way across the globe, and the crew did it in less than six weeks.

Arkansas Chuggabugs fix brakes in Mongol Rally

The Chuggabugs dealt with rainy campsites, worn brakes, corrupt Romanian policemen, tardy ferries, and a broken clutch.  And they made it look like a lot of fun!

Chuggabugs go to Mongolia for Heifer

Infrastructure is a little different in Mongolia

“I went in expecting an adventure and came out more than fulfilled,” team member Mike Buckner said. “I got adventure and got to sightsee while at the same time meeting some of the most fascinating people, both as part of the Mongol Rally and outside of it.”

Chuggabugs get a tow in Kazakhstan

Sometimes, when you really need a tow in rural Kazakhstan, a guy named Yura helps out.

We’ve seen people do all kinds of things to raise money for Heifer International, but this is definitely one of the most extreme. Cheers to the Chuggabugs for seeking out such amazing places and experiences!

Laura Bush Visits Heifer Zambia

Former First Lady of the U.S. Laura Bush visited Zambia last month and took the time to visit one of Heifer International’s project sites there. She toured the Mpima milk processing center in Kabwe, and got to meet some of the families working with Heifer there.

Thank you from First Lady Laura Bush
A gracious thank-you note from former First Lady Laura Bush to Heifer Zambia director James Kasongo.
Mrs. Bush says she is grateful for Heifer’s work and “all the ways you help the people of Zambia.”  But the gratitude lies on our side: Heifer is extemely appreciative of the time Mrs. Bush took to learn more about our Zambia projects and learn about the needs of people there.  
 

Read to Feed Helps Kids Learn to Love Reading

As parents and schools gear up for the school year, Heifer International wants you to know about its special reading incentive program for grade-school kids. Read to Feed helps teachers impart an ethic of global giving to kids while also fostering their reading skills.

Read to Feed reading program

The Read to Feed reading program is great for kids in grades K-6.

With Read to Feed, kids get so excited about giving animals to help children in poverty, they may not even realize they’re also helping themselves by reading more. Just like adults, kids are more enthusiastic about their efforts when they know they’re making a difference to others.

In Read to Feed, children (individually or as a group) get sponsors for each book they read during a certain time period. At the end of the program, the group pools its funds and decides which animals to donate through Heifer International, to help other families reach self-reliance.

The program even has a snazzy new online resource center that makes it easy for teachers to learn about the program and get their materials. Heifer International knows how vital education is. So why not help a younger generation to educate themselves while they learn about the pleasure of helping others?

Joining Flat Stanley: “Flat Heifer”

You’ve probably met Flat Stanley. He’s a loveable character who has been traipsing across the globe since he was first introduced into children’s literature in 1964. In 1995, a Canadian schoolteacher by the name of Dale Hubert developed the Flat Stanley Project and soon paper Stanleys were being mailed from school to school and their travels being recorded in journals by engaged students. Last year, Stanley even made it to the White House. Now Flat Stanley has entered the digital world and Heifer International is joining him in that space.

 

The Flat Stanley iPhone and iPad app (available for free) offers new ways for you or your kids to learn about what Heifer does. The way that the app works, kids (or kids at heart) can design a Flat Stanley or Flat Stella. After you design a Flat character, you can start taking pictures in your community and the character will be super imposed. Heifer will have a special character costume available for purchase in the game with a portion of the proceeds going to support our work in developing countries. 

The Flat Heifer costume

 

But that is just one way you can interact with Heifer through the app. The other option is to pull up the map of the world and find places to send your Flat character. There will be eight different Heifer adventures: Haiti, Malawi, Kenya, India, Cambodia, Armenia, Peru and Romania. You will have the opportunity to receive pictures of your character exploring Heifer projects along with tidbits about our work. At the end of the tour, you will get a journal entry that recounts everything your character did and a fun description of what Heifer is doing in that country. We can’t wait to hear all about your adventures, so please come back and share them with us!

Lead On!

Heifer’s leaders have garnered some acclaim in our regional media.

President and CEO Pierre Ferrari at Heifer Ranch

 Heifer International’s President and CEO, Pierre Ferrari, was named one of the Most Powerful Men in Arkansas by AY Magazine. These men were named because of their dedication and ability to effect change.

“The path to deep happiness is working to end the suffering of others,” Ferrari told the magazine.

Executive Vice-President of Marketing and Resource Development Cindy Jones-Nyland

Cindy Jones-Nyland, Heifer International’s new Executive Vice-President of Marketing and Resource Development, shared her insights into the trick of assuming new leadership in Talk Business Quarterly.

“Embracing people’s strengths and weaknesses and allowing them to grow in ways that unleash their best talents is critical to high-performance organizations,” said Jones-Nyland.

We want to congratulate our colleagues; they’re improving the already-excellent work Heifer International does for the poor and hungry.

Heifer Gets $8.5 Million From Gates Foundation for Africa Dairy Work

One of Heifer International’s biggest projects is EADD – the East Africa Dairy Development project. It was started in 2008 with a $42.8 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. It’s helping about 179,000 small-scale dairy farmers to double their incomes.

The Kosgei family in Nandi County, Kenya, are participants in the East Africa Dairy Development project.

Now, we’re happy to announce that we’ve received a one-year, $8.5 million grant from the Gates Foundation to continue that work. The grant will support existing projects in Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda and explore possibilities for expansion in Ethiopia and Tanzania.

Transporters in Uganda pour a day's milk into containers at a farmers' coorperative.

 

“We are excited for the opportunity to continue serving dairy farming families and grateful to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for their support,” says Elizabeth Bintliff, vice president of Heifer International’s Africa area program.

So what, exactly does EADD do? The project helps small dairy farmers sustainably increase their milk productivity and efficiency. It also helps them sell more milk by connecting to markets and by creating and expanding infrastructure like collection hubs and chilling plants.

EADD is now in its final year of the pilot phase. It has grown to be one of the leading market-oriented agro-livestock development initiatives in East Africa, earning the farming families more than $35 million.

Heifer International is implementing the project, with help from partners TechnoServe, The International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), World Agroforestry Research Institute and Africa Breeders Services.

Uganda Biogas Project Wins “Best Practice” Award

Photo by Russell Powell

Heifer International has employed some ingenious solutions to third-world problems over the years. Now, one project has received a “Best Practices and Innovations” award from InterAction, a coalition of nonprofits focused on development.

Heifer’s Uganda biogas project eases the workload of rural women and improves their health by providing a safe, renewable and cheap source of fuel – a fuel that’s much cleaner than firewood. The technique uses cattle and pig waste to produce methane gas for lighting and cooking. The dung is collected in a “digester,” where microbes break it down and release methane, which can be captured in a cylinder or piped straight into the home.

InterAction’s technical review committee noted the impressive results achieved by Heifer International Uganda’s biogas project, especially the improvements in living conditions and incomes in rural communities. The committee was also impressed with the project’s promotion of women’s participation, as well as the strong collaboration with the government and private sector.

Most people in rural Uganda, because they don’t have access to electricity, rely on firewood. But the supply of wood and charcoal is being quickly depleted by deforestation. Women and children spend hours gathering firewood, tending cook fires and breathing in smoke and soot.

Home biogas plants under construction.

 

The biogas project is funded by the Dutch government and began in 2009. It aims to install 12,000 biogas units by the end of 2013. The project trains both the builders and the users of the biogas plants, which are relatively simple to build. The construction enterprises working with Heifer include two run by women.

In addition to easing deforestation, the Heifer International project has lowered women and children’s risk of disease from indoor air pollution, and hygiene has improved since animal waste is no longer left close to the homes. A majority of households have reported a reduction in health care expenditures.

 

There are other benefits, too.

Bioslurry, a byproduct of the methane production, can be used as a natural fertilizer.

The bio-slurry removed from the digester at the end of the process can be used as natural fertilizer, resulting in better crop harvests. Children are able to read and study at night with gas-powered lighting. And interestingly, some men now feel more comfortable preparing light snacks and tea with user-friendly biogas stoves.

“We at Heifer International are very pleased to receive this award,” says Elizabeth Bintliff, Vice-President of Africa Programs. “It’s a huge credit to the Heifer Uganda program, highlighting one simple innovation that can solve many different problems. We hope InterAction’s recognition will help spread the word about this technique, so that we can share its benefits with many more communities.”

Amaranth = “Alegría” = Happiness

Farmers in Mexico are trying out an unusual crop, with Heifer International’s help. Amaranth is a grain native to Mexico that hasn’t been widely cultivated in hundreds of years. But it’s highly nutritious – lots of protein, vitamins and minerals – and it grows well in arid areas.

Over the last few years, Heifer and its partners in Oaxaca, Mexico, have helped dozens of families by providing training in amaranth cultivation and soil conservation. Now Heifer International Mexico hopes to continue its work there by focusing on children in the poverty-stricken region.

In this video, you can see what amaranth looks like and hear more about the project from the kids involved. You’ll also see how to make the sweet treat called “alegria,” or “happiness.”                                                                                                                                                                                       

Sowing Youth, Harvesting Happy Farmers from Guillermo Monteforte on Vimeo.

 

Heifer Ranch Marks One Year Since Tornado

Exactly one year ago, Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Ark. got a surprise visitor: a tornado ripped through and took down buildings and trees. Today, thanks to a lot of help and hard work, Heifer Ranch is repaired and thriving.

Although the twister destroyed several buildings, tore up dozens of trees and scattered some chickens as it ploughed across the Ranch, all the vital components of the educational facility were spared and no one was hurt. One year later, the Ranch is healed and ready for a busy summer.

Ranch Director Keisha Patterson says the Ranch was able to recover quickly and focus on teaching about hunger and poverty due to the support of the local community and the entire Heifer “family.” Headquarters staff helped with the immediate clean up. In addition, dozens of local volunteers came out to clear the debris and mend fencing, some bringing their own equipment.

The pavilion just after the tornado came through.

After the tornado hit on April 25, 2011, five chickens were unaccounted for, but otherwise all workers, visitors and animals were safe. The Ranch shut down for one week in order to clear debris, and months later, after the summer’s tourism traffic decreased, the Ranch brought in heavy machinery to take out tree stumps and fill in holes.

Patterson says she is grateful for the community spirit that helped the Ranch recover. Throughout the summer, visiting educational groups with service components devoted their time to helping clean up the Ranch.

The pavilion after repair.

Ten structures on the Ranch were destroyed or damaged by the twister. Now, the site of one old barn has already been converted into pasture. Patterson said visitors today will see a different landscape. “They’ll be able to see clearer, because the trees that used to stand along the entrance are pasture now.”

“I am thankful that no people were injured,” Patterson said. “We did have a group here from L.A. and they were eating dinner when the tornado warning hit. But we have safety measures in place and the employees and volunteers acted as they should have. They were able to get everyone to safety.”

If you’re not familier with the work of the Learning Center at Heifer Ranch, check out its programs here. The Ranch is hands-on and fun, complete with gardens and animals including water buffalo, camels and traditional farm animals like pigs, goats and more.